Dairy Heifer Wintering

[Rdmorris1998]

Just after some advice on going rates that people are charging/paying. Shed space, silage and labour provided by me. Farm that wants to send some to us are kiwi cows, so probably 550kg? Told them I wanted £1.75 head/day earlier in the year, when straw wasn’t such mad money. Any advice/info much appreciated.

 

[Woolless]

Try the dairy forum?

 

[Thick Farmer]

That sounds about right. I charge £1.35/head all year around. I make f**k all in winter!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

We charge £1/day for weaner calf grazing up to 2£/day for incalf heifer wintering, same deal as the OP.

We don't graze cows, too big; can't fit enough to make them pay as well as smaller cattle

I doubt I'd just be able to go out and "ask people" at the rates we charge, we've got our name out there now and can choose what we want and how many.

£1.75-$1.80 sounds fair if you are doing a good job, over winter it prevents you from filling your shed with something else so that needs factored in, if they are spring calvers it means you're left with a dirty shed and a big hole in your silage

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I charge £2/hd/day but mine is is just an internal charge between 2 different parts of the business.

A 550kg cow will eat 10kg DM of silage and need at least 5kg of straw to keep acceptably clean. At £100/t DM for each of those you've spent £1.50 before any labour, machinery or profit.

 

[Rdmorris1998]

Cheers for the feedback. Will probably try it for this winter and see how it goes. Most probably try and get my own cattle for next year

 

[Skintagain]

Sell the silage and the straw and use it to buy some cattle

 

[Highland Mule]

Sell the silage and the straw and use it to buy some cattle

Not sure I'd do that this year, with fodder dirt cheap and livestock prices flying high (or at least it is up here).

 

[Skintagain]

Not sure I'd do that this year, with fodder dirt cheap and livestock prices flying high (or at least it is up here).

I meant more buy them to turn out next year. Be Straw certainly isn’t cheap around us even if you can find it. Silage will keep if it can’t be sold at reasonable money

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Cheers for the feedback. Will probably try it for this winter and see how it goes. Most probably try and get my own cattle for next year

Good idea if you can get that early payment to cover some inputs, one cost many people absorb is that they have thousands worth of "stuff" sitting about "waiting" when they could have used that capital elsewhere in the business to good effect.

Depending on your climate and space, perhaps you could use an outside court to reduce your straw costs, bed them on deep woodchip and house when necessary. We used to house and feed silage constantly but have plenty of days they can be outside, and that's what we now do.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

The calf to calving study suggests on average a heifer will cost £2.31/day. Bearing in mind that accounts for losses too (which you wouldn’t be responsible for presumably), your workings seem fair. Also that was for mixed animals in mixed systems so the relatively small kiwi crosses should have a lower demand.

I’d just question whether you have properly costed in the straw. Get the price agreed and get it bought and then work it out again. There’s no point in doing it if there is nothing in it for you. It’s going to be pricey this year. You could always charge a rate not including straw and just pass the straw cost onto your customer if that is safer for both of you.

 

[Rdmorris1998]

Most probably would be better off selling forage and straw seen as its here and payed for. Got a fair amount of shed space that I wanted to make use of and wintering heifers Seemed a good low capital investment option. But like your saying, pointless if no profit. Will do another costings tonight, most probably needs to be more like 1.90

 

[DaveGrohl]

I charge £1.50/day in winter for 15 months+. It's not enough but I know some people round here charge quite a bit less but they are losing money. I do it for the exercise and to "keep my hand in", I get my income elsewhere. Quite why they do it I've no idea.

Cows are a step up in terms of costs and keeping clean.